You Will Not Win, Winter!!

I am solar powered.  Warm sunny days motivate me to get sh*t done (like yesterday- yay!). Can you imagine what dark cold days do to me?  Yup, I hibernate.  By the end of winter, there's usually a butt print on the sofa and I've caught up on all the reruns of my favorite shows (twice).  Every year I vow "not this year!" but I REALLY mean it this winter!!  I have a list of projects 5 miles long and a hubby who's getting sick of my 5 mile long project list taking up room in the dining room and basement. (Sorry Babe!)

The way I figure it, if I vow to you that this winter will be different, then I have you guys to be accountable to.  So here goes!

I have 2 rooms in my sights currently: my bedroom and my basement.  I already mentioned my bedroom in this post , but the basement has been my deep dark secret (pun intended).... until now.

Brace yourself, it ain't pretty:

I'm a gal who always has at least 1 project going on.  Now that we have a house, my projects are bigger, messier, and take up much more room.  oops.  The dining room has been the work room up till now, but that makes it tough to have guests over for dinner.  If you're anything like me, not having guests over, means that the house doesn't get as clean as it probably should...... "Who, me?" Yes, you.  Well, I miss having friends over for dinner and I miss having the house ready to show off to guests (I'm an interior designer here, I see my house as a living 3d portfolio).  So what's the solution to my woes and what does it have to do with the horrific basement shown above?

I'll give you a hint- it involves a LOT of organizing, and some craigslist shopping.

I'm tackling my basement once and for all!  First and foremost, there will be a work/project area with all my tools organized (lets pause for a sec and appreciate those 2 beautiful words: organized tools.... ).  There will also be a dedicated, organized storage area, and a totally reorganized laundry area.  Do you see a trend?  ORGANIZED!!  IF I'm feeling really ambitious, I might actually make the random toilet in our basement feel less random, although I really have no idea how yet.

The first step is the toughest though... purging and organizing.  I forced myself to get this started last weekend and donated about 10 tons of clothes to Savers (like GoodWill or Salvation army).  When we moved, we got rid of a lot (believe it or not), but we still have stuff that we kept 'in case we needed it' that we haven't used in a year.  If I don't remember you exist, you don't need to take up space in my basement.

Once I do a major purge and get started on the organizing, craigslist is going to help me find some pieces to organize and maybe give a little pizazz to my work area.  My dad mentioned that my Grandpa used to use old dressers to hold his tools and such- I love this idea!  Power tools stored in a cool old dresser, maybe painted an awesome color?  Doesn't sound like me at all.

If I'm cooped in the house all winter, I might as well make it productive.  Now I just have to force myself to dig in and do it!

Do you have any cold weather projects planned?

Pin and Tell: Regency Rustic

Welcome to my “Pin and Tell” weekly series. If you missed my previous “Pin and Tell” posts, check them out here. ___________________________________________________

This week’s Pin

Why

I love the balance of this space.  Half the elements are very formal and traditional, and the other half are weathered and rustic.  The balance of these two seemingly opposite aesthetics creates such a sophisticated, relaxed vibe.  As a color-phile, I do want to throw in a few bright accessories, however, but that's just me.  The map is amazing, don't you agree?  I'll admit, though, I don't quite get the karate-chopped pillow look that I keep seeing everywhere...  What did the pillow do to deserve such violence??

I picked this space today because my personal obsession focus has really switched to my bedroom.  Since the introduction of my amazing new bench, I feel like the rest of the room needs to live up to it!  I got new bedside lamps (the jury's still out- I'll blog about it later this week), and most of the elements in the space are currently kinda formal.  Since we're not formal people, I need to find items that will add a relaxed aesthetic into the mix.

What room is your current design focus?

Pin and Tell: Bold Dining

Welcome to my “Pin and Tell” weekly series. If you missed my previous “Pin and Tell” posts, check them out here. ___________________________________________________

This week’s Pin

Why

We're going to pretend that the disco ball doesn't exist.  If you subtract that monstrosity, I think the dining room is near perfection.  My opinion of the room actually surprises me, it's not the usual type room that I die over, but I'm totally swooning.  It's completely an unexpected composition and it.  is.  awesome.

I think it's the colors that really reach through the computer and grab me.  That green.  Oh, that green.  *sigh* I know that green doesn't float everyone's boats, but I'm drawn to it like a squirrel to a bird feeder.  In fact, we painted our office very close (although not AS bright).  The crown moulding of brown at the top grounds the green and gives a very contemporary color a more traditional vibe.  The blue sideboard and the cranberry on the chairs are supporting players and just look sooo rich.  I, for one, would NEVER have thought to put those colors together in that composition, but I'm so glad they did.  Those birds!  Did you expect me not to comment? I want to be a part of that flock.

Apparently it is possible to be regal and whimsical at the same time.  This room is proof of that.